Classification, characterisation and strategies for improvement of cattle and sheep pasture systems in marginal areas of Southern Chile

Pasture-based livestock systems in farms with medium or low size are especially important in less favored areas and are valuable for society. For these systems to survive, it is necessary to obtain an acceptable level of productivity and ensure commercialization of the products. This study was carried out in the district of Rio Ibáñez, General Carrera Province, in the XI (Aysén) Region of Chile. The sample consisted of 28 small-scale livestock farmers with dual-purpose cattle production; 16 of them also produced sheep for meat. The empirical data produced 55 variables which were subjected to multivariate analysis; three main components were obtained which explain 72.1 % of the variance. By cluster analysis it was obtained four groups with characteristics which varied by farm size, age and personal situation of farmers, farm management and farm profitability. The principal problems found are low productivity in the herds and the poor marketing channels of animals produced. In two groups, due to the low size and poor management, the profitability of the farms is very low and this may compromise their future. To improve production systems, the training and advice of farmers should be strengthened, investment should be supported, especially for young people, and the farmer partnership should be promoted. There is also a need to diversify the families' sources of income (sale of other farm products or handicrafts and touristic activities).Ministerio de Economía de Chile Innova-CORFO Project 11 NTEC 1279

Classification, characterisation and strategies for improvement of cattle and sheep pasture systems in marginal areas of Southern Chile

Pasture-based livestock systems in farms with medium or low size are especially important in less favored areas and are valuable for society. For these systems to survive, it is necessary to obtain an acceptable level of productivity and ensure commercialization of the products. This study was carried out in the district of Rio Ibáñez, General Carrera Province, in the XI (Aysén) Region of Chile. The sample consisted of 28 small-scale livestock farmers with dual-purpose cattle production; 16 of them also produced sheep for meat. The empirical data produced 55 variables which were subjected to multivariate analysis; three main components were obtained which explain 72.1 % of the variance. By cluster analysis it was obtained four groups with characteristics which varied by farm size, age and personal situation of farmers, farm management and farm profitability. The principal problems found are low productivity in the herds and the poor marketing channels of animals produced. In two groups, due to the low size and poor management, the profitability of the farms is very low and this may compromise their future. To improve production systems, the training and advice of farmers should be strengthened, investment should be supported, especially for young people, and the farmer partnership should be promoted. There is also a need to diversify the families' sources of income (sale of other farm products or handicrafts and touristic activities).Ministerio de Economía de Chile Innova-CORFO Project 11 NTEC 1279

The Effect of Genetic and Infrastructure Investments in Dairy and Beef Producers' Profit in Chile

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of infrastructure and genetic improvement investments, promoted by a government program (Programa de Modernizacion Ganadera), in milk and meat producers' profit in Region IX. Using a system of simultaneous equations, the effect of the investment on quality, in the price, in the yield and production cost of milk were estimated. In the case of milk, we reject the nonlinear hypothesis that the elasticities of investment in genetic improvement in gross income and variable costs are equal to zero. The estimation was done using information of 276 producers of the IX Region that participated in the program during the period 1998-99 (17,3 % of the regional population), with information for the years 1998 (baseline), 2001 and 2003. The results indicate that the investment in infrastructure had a positive and statistically significant impact in the quality of milk, which translates into a higher price received by producers. Meanwhile the investment in genetic improvement had a positive and significant effect in milk yield, but also in costs. Similar results were obtained for meat production, but the effect is weaker than in milk production, especially for infrastructure investments.Livestock Production/Industries, O13, Q14, Q16,

The Distributive Impact of the Water Market in Chile: A Case Study in Limari Province, 1981- 1997

The introduction of a strong market-oriented economic policy after the 1973 golpe in Chile led to economic reforms during the 1980s, characterised by deregulation, decentralisation and privatisation of several economic sectors. The reform of the water sector took place as part of this trend. Its overall objective was to increase water-use efficiency, implementing a private management model based on the development of water markets. The model represents the most profound reform that has ever been carried out worldwide in this sector, due to its radical neo-liberal conception and to its duration (in force since 1981). Many studies have been carried out focusing mainly on the efficiency impact of the reform but no one on its distributive effects. This paper aims to fill this gap. The case study (Limarí Province, IV Region) examines the distributive impacts on the relevant population (in particular on the poor and the most vulnerable groups, like peasants) through the analysis of all water use rights transactions which have taken place in the area from 1981 to 1997, and the determinants of peasants' participation in water market, using survey data from a significant sample (2.4%) of peasant households in the area. The study shows that the distribution of water rights has worsened since 1981. Namely, peasants' share of water rights decreased significantly as time went on, both in aggregate and per capita terms, undermining their agricultural production potential and leading to a deterioration of their standards of living. Moreover, the share in water rights by the agricultural sector as a whole decreased, while that by non-agricultural sectors increased. The study shows also that peasants access water resources primarily through the claim of original rights and enter only marginally the water market, usually as sellers, showing a weak bargaining power. Their behaviour in the water market is determined by well identified social, economic and institutional variables, such as the age of the head of household, the educational level of the family, the participation in agricultural organisations, the managerial positions in water users' associations, the access to information in local water market, the access to credit and the crop mix

G-quadruplex formation of FXYD1 pre-mRNA indicates the possiblity of regulating expression of its protein product

G-quadruplexes are higher-order nucleic acid structures formed of square-planar arrangements of four guanine bases held together by Hoogsteen-type hydrogen bonds. Stacks of guanine tetrads are stabilised by intercalating potassium ions. FXYD1 encodes for phospholemman, a regulatory subunit of the cardiac Na+/K+-ATPase. Computational sequence analysis of FXYD1 pre-mRNA predicted the formation of stable intramolecular G-quadruplexes in human and orthologue sequences. Multiple sequence alignment indicated that G-rich sequences are conserved in evolution suggesting a potential role of G-quadruplexes in FXYD1 gene expression. The existence of a non-functional alternative splicing product indicated that the G-quadruplex formation may control alternative splicing. Quadruplex formation of human and bovine oligonucleotides was confirmed in vitro by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and intrinsic fluorescence emission spectroscopy. Taking together the evolutionary conservation of G-quadruplex forming sequences with the confirmation of G-quadruplex formation in vitro by two FXYD1 homologues the results point to a potential role of these structures in regulating the expression of FXYD1 and thus regulate indirectly the activity of the cardiac Na+/K+ -ATPase.Peer reviewe

Criterios de clasificación y re-definición de un perfil comercial de la Agricultura Familiar Campesina, Región del Maule, Chile

Jara-Rojas, R (reprint author), Univ Talca, Fac Ciencias Agr, Dpto Econ Agr, 2 Norte 685 Talca,Casilla 747, Talca, Chile.In Chile, small-scale farmers are classified according to old approaches from 1993 that do not include changes occurred in the last two decades. Maule is the region with most rural population in Chile which represents a significant stratum for development, innovation and competitiveness. This study explores a new approach of small-scale farmers -associated with Family Farm Agriculture (AFC) - classification in Chile and it describes a commercial profile or AFC-1 for famers of the Maule Region. A Cluster analysis to determine AFC-1 farmers is used. The analysis includes four association variables: Total Assets, Farm Income, Production Costs and Management Indicators. The results suggest that 16.4% of the farmers have a commercial profile and they could stay out support provided by the National Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP). This group of farmers would not belong to AFC in short terms. This fact could bring restriction to AFC-1 farmers such as lack of credit access, less investment incentives and technical assistance. Thus, it would expect low process of technology adoption and welfare improvement. New agrarian policies must be warranted to support this important group of famers with a commercial profile